Chow Now Strikes Gold… Zahav!

Want to know Zahav’s greatest secret? It’s not the pillowy bowls of hummus (that I recently found out come with unlimited hand-made laffa!) and it’s not the bright assortment of refreshing mezze salads dusted with unique spices—it’s the lamb. It’s most definitely the whole pomegranate roasted lamb shoulder feast for four.

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“But what’s the secret?” you may ask. “Everyone knows about the lamb shoulder!” Well I’ve got news for you. The menu says it’s meant for at least four people or more, but you can get it for two and they’ll give you enough lamb to feed an entire Middle Eastern nation and then some.

The lamb shoulder at Zahav can only be ordered as part of the Mesibah tasting menu—a selection of dishes chosen by the chef.

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It starts innocently enough with a wide bowl of billowing hummus—creamy, nutty, and delightfully soft. It’s topped with a drizzle of olive oil and a splash of a rich mixture of tahini and whole chickpeas.

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Fresh sheets of warm laffa are set alongside the bowl for you to share. They’re also handy for scooping up bites of the different mezze—salads served as an array of small starters.

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Each salad is refreshing and unique. The mashed beet spread was slightly sweet, but thick and rich from a generous mix-in of tahini. The eggplant dip was smoky, smooth, and difficult to describe. I think my Arab roommate captured explained it best with the phrase “it tastes like Bahrain.” But my personal favorite was the dish of carrots—slightly crunchy, toothsome, and simmered in a sweet glaze spiked with hot Moroccan spices.

Next come the small plates—creative dishes meant to be shared.

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An amuse-bouche of a creamy fish spread topped with tart pickled vegetables on a crispy house-made pita chip.

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Sweet golden beets sprinkled with crunchy pomegranate seeds, doused with dollops of creamy tzatziki and a drizzle of nutty pistachio oil.

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The squash konafi—a savory take on a traditional Arabic dessert—filled with steamy squash, rich kashkaval cheese, and topped with tart pickled pepper and a zesty red sauce.

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Fried fingerling potatoes crispy enough to crack with the tine of a fork.

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And our favorite small plate of the night—the grilled duck hearts. Rich, meaty, and dressed in a bright green matbucha sauce accompanied by a single crispy onion ring.

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Then comes the lamb itself—a veritable beast of a dish, literally the size of what seemed to be at least two of our heads. It’s exterior is crispy and dark—a pomegranate juice infused bark so crunchy and addictive that you’ll almost wish the entire lamb shoulder was cooked that way. Almost. The rich, juicy interior will convince you otherwise.

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But the poor vegetarians among us should not feel left out! A platter of crispy Persian rice served alongside the lamb, fragrant with saffron and encased in a crunchy outer later, is incredibly satisfying and gives way to a fork with a buttery crunch.

The heaping piles of sweet chickpeas that coat the lamb are just as flavorful—if not more—than their meaty counterpart. Sure, it may be because they’re slowly braised in the mixture of pomegranate juice and lamb fat rendered from the shoulder in the oven, but I can’t think of a dish more worth feigning vegetarian ignorance on.

After the heart resuscitation by the friendly waitress main course, the final dishes arrive at the table: dessert.

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The carrot basboosa—a delightfully moist square of carrot cake balanced by rich labneh, a sprinkle of tart cranberries, and crunchy bits of walnut.

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And a chestnut konafi—which my roommate helpfully explained is what results “when an apple pie and a konafi get married”—topped with a layer of sweet caramelized figs and a dollop of cool brown butter ice cream.

We rolled out of Zahav like two lumps on a camel’s back. Two very satisfied lumps.

So CHOW NOW at Zahav for an experience you won’t soon forget.

-Chase Matecun

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